Alexisonfire Albums- When Humor and Scream Meet

It can be a bit of a funny experience to get your hands on Alexisonfire merch and albums for the very first time. Naturally, musically inclined people are quite adept in crafting well worded compositions. This Canadian group however is a rare gem because of its wit. This is pretty obvious when you consider that the band has
works entitled Pulmonary Archery and Boiled Frogs.

The band has always been witty from the very start. This is evident in their band name which is lifted from a stripper named Alexis Fire. The stripper claims to be the only lactating strip performer. Fire initially took legal action against the band because her name had been used without permission. She had no choice but to stand down though after it had been established that she had no name copyright.

The year 2001 marked the group’s formation when the original members banded together after their bands had split. Vocalist George Pettit came from Condemning Salemn. Vocalist, pianist and guitarist Dallas Green came from Helicon Blue. Other members, guitarist and vocalist Wade MacNeil and bassist Chris Steele, shared the same former band, Plan 9. Jesse Ingelevics rounded up the group as its drummer.

The band released its first EP with the amusing title Math Sheet Demos. This was reportedly given such a name because the disc that contained the musical work was wrapped in actual math homework sheets. The Alexisonfire album featured more of the band’s witty humor when it came out with a cover of two Catholic school girls in a knife fight. The group has since used this image to refer to the kind of music that they perform.

The group’s attractive self-packaging is probably the reason why the members were immediately able to draw attention to themselves. Shortly after they formed, they were able to get a deal from Distort Entertainment and a distribution agreement with EMI. Despite the obvious potential of being able to grab the attention of bigger labels, the group chose to remain largely independent. This didn’t seem disadvantageous for the group at all since they have been able to sell their work relying on fan support and touring.

The band moved on closer to more success with their second release, Watch Out! which started selling in 2004. In as short as three months, the musical work garnered a gold status in Canadian soil. It was clear from the very start that this second work was even more of a
bang than its predecessor. Band member Pettit says this is most likely because bands do get better the longer they play. Some fans add that the improved sound is most likely the result of a better show of emotions. This successful second album was followed by Crisis in 2008 and then by Old Crows/Cardinals in 2009.

The only time the band seemed to have suffered a slight setback was when Ingelevics left in 2005. Prior to this, he was already at odds with the other members. Jordan Hastings jumped in to take over.

There is no doubt that Alexisonfire albums are making a mark on the scream sub genre. Surprisingly though, even people who don’t like listening to all that screaming can still definitely appreciate the band’s work if only because of their humorous wit. Listen long enough to this group and you might just become a convert and begin sporting their music fashion.